Meet the Proyecto Abrigo Board of Directors!
Rev. Jose Luis Portillo – Executive Director
Rev. Jose Luis Portillo is 1 of 10 children born and raised in Juarez, Mexico. He raised money for his family when he was a child by selling cigarettes and cigars on the streets of Juarez. He and his sister, Juana, received scholarships to go to Lydia Patterson Institute in El Paso, TX. There he learned English and heard God calling him to be a minister. He graduated from John Wesley Seminary in Monterrey, Mexico and was appointed to a church in Juarez. While he was there he invited volunteers to come and help build the church building. Those volunteers saw the people living in cardboard houses and asked how they might help. Through the help of Volunteers in Mission, Jose Luis began Operacion Hogar (Operation Home) in 1992 which used teams of volunteers from the United States to build concrete block houses for families living in cardboard houses. Most of the houses built are in Tierra Nueva, a community on the outskirts of Juarez. Jose Luis left Operacion Hogar in 1996 and founded Proyecto Abrigo, doing the same type of home building. Between these two organizations, Jose Luis has been responsible for building over 1000 houses since 1992.
Janet Hunt – Board Chair
Janet Hunt is the Director of Community Ministries at Suncreek United Methodist Church in Allen, Texas. Janet holds a degree from Texas Tech University in Human Development and Family Studies. After twenty years in youth ministry at four different churches Janet transitioned into her current job that focuses on missions and outreach. Janet has served on the Proyecto Abrigo board for over four years. In 2002 Janet started traveling to Mexico to help build homes. Since that time she has made over 60 trips and helped with the construction of over 100 homes. Janet and her mission partner and fellow board member, Rita, have also taken three trips with Nuevo Pacto to Copper Canyon to minister to the Tarahumara Indians. Janet is also involved in numerous local mission projects and takes yearly trips to help conduct English Camp in the Czech Republic. Janet is very involved with ZOE ministry in Kenya and has made three trips to visit the ministry and orphans in Africa. Janet has three children who have also traveled to Mexico to help build homes several times and they also have an overwhelming passion for the amazing ministry of Proyecto Abrigo.
Rev. Dana Coker
Dana Coker is currently the senior pastor of FUMC Mabank, TX. Dana grew up in Plano, TX. She graduated from Plano Senior High School in 1996, from Texas A&M University in 1999, and from Perkins School of Theology in 2003. She has served Custer Road UMC, FUMC of Wichita Falls, FUMC of Commerce, and FUMC of Bridgeport. Dana and her husband, Harold, have a great love of Proyecto Abrigo. They have both been on five trips to build homes, and have been involved in various ways in service to Proyecto Abrigo since 2006. They both long for peace in Juarez!
Lisa Hamilton
Lisa Hamilton is a member of University Park UMC in Dallas, Texas. She works as a Certified Academic Language Therapist and a Licensed Dyslexia Specialist at Dallas Academy. She and her husband, Alan, have two children, Jordan age 5 and Jacob age 2. They are excited to take the boys on their first trip to Projecto Abrigo in the coming years, and they look forward to continuing their support of its wonderful ministry in Mexico.
Rev. Marc Corazao
Marc Corazao has been serving churches in the North Texas Conference for the past fifteen years in various capacities and ministry positions, particularly serving in leadership with youth and their families. In recent years, he has been blessed with opportunities to explore and enter into ministry with those in poverty, finding ways to deepen our connections and community with one another. Marc continues this exploration and passion alongside college students in his current position as Campus Pastor of the Wesleyan Campus Ministry at Texas A&M University of Commerce.
Charles Harrison
Charles Harrison has been actively involved in ministry since 1988. After leaving a career as a retail sales executive with a flagship department store chain, he served for 3 1/2 years in the area of Single’s Ministry. He then began working with Youth and Families in 1991. Charles currently serves as the executive director of C2K- Connect to the Kingdom and YouthWorker Movement along with serving on the board of directors for the Foundation for Evangelism. Charles spends all of his free-time with his Life-Partner of 20+ years, Georgia M. Harrison. She is a commissioned Deacon in the North Texas Conference and currently serves FUMC Wichita Falls. Charles also especially enjoys spending time with his children, Ricky and Marisa.
Steve Wagner
Steve is the Director of Operations and Discipleship at Suncreek United Methodist Church in Allen, TX. He serves as Treasurer for Proyecto Abrigo. He holds a B.A. from Bethel College in Indiana and an M.A in Theological Studies from Asbury Theological Seminary and significant experience in retail furniture. He and his wife Lori have been Texas residents since 2007. Lori fell in love with the people of Tierra Nueva on her first trip and has went back many times.
Becky Neeley
Becky Neeley is a member of Stonebridge UMC in McKinney, TX. She is retired, working last as the Executive Director for the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Collin County, a program of trained volunteers who serve as advocates for abused and neglected children in the court system. Prior to that she worked as a caseworker supervisor of FOCAS in Dallas, TX. Becky has been married to her husband Dave for 46 years and they have three children and five grandchildren. Becky is an active community volunteer and has co-chaired Relay For Life in McKinney, the second largest Relay in the state of Texas.
Rita Thomas
Rita is a member of Suncreek United Methodist Church in Allen, TX.